12. Chapter 12
Cameron
“As of today, Father Cole will no longer be welcomed in the walls of Saint Sameal’s.”
Dale’s words echoed through my mind like gunfire. When they were first said, I thought it was just Dale trying to get a reaction. But, somehow, that wasn’t the case.
I’d chased Dale down after service and demanded an explanation.
Instead, all he did was tell me just how I’d been fucking up for years.
To Dale, I was fat, stupid, past my prime, and an all-around waste of his time.
He told me he had misplaced his faith, and while it wasn’t my fault, at my core, I wasn’t the man he thought I’d be–The man he needed to help spread his message.
And because of that, Dale was done with me.
After stealing twenty-three years of my life, Dale was done with me. That should have taken the weight of the world off my shoulders. Instead, my newfound freedom left me paranoid.
There’s no way in Hell that Dale was just letting me go. He once told me that not even death could free me from his grasp. He spent years slaughtering my partners for no reason other than me getting them pregnant. I didn’t buy it, not for one second .
I had backed myself into a corner. The only person I could actually talk to about any of this was Sebastian. He was the only one who knew my actual identity, and I wanted to keep it that way. But I had no idea what transpired between him and Dale.
Also, I had a feeling that I’d have more luck trying to get struck by lightning than getting Sebastian to talk.
So, before heading home, I stopped by the liquor store to get something to calm my nerves.
I ended up grabbing a bottle of whisky that reminded me of one that my pa always had in the liquor cabinet.
I’d take drinks of it and refill it with flat cola so I didn’t get caught.
This time, I could drink the whole thing, and no one could stop me.
It was my birthday, which meant it was my right to get so drunk I couldn’t remember today.
When I pulled up to the house, everyone’s cars were in the driveway, and the world was eerily silent.
The wind rustled through half-dead leaves, but that was it.
I checked my watch and saw that it was almost three p.m. Jas and Juni were probably finishing their naps, and the adults were enjoying their last moments of peace.
That thought made me feel a little guilty for missing it.
The kids were a lot of time, but I realized this season of life would end the second we welcomed Rosie.
My lips quivered into a smile, and I knew if the worst came and I had to leave… they’d be okay. But if Dale wasn’t planning something, and he was actually giving me my life back, this was a life I could happily live forever.
Cameron Cole was the thirteenth name I had taken, and it was by far my favorite, which was exactly why Dale had to be planning something.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I breathed in through my nose and out through my mouth. I was working myself up over something that hadn’t even happened yet. There was no way to tell if Dale was being honest about letting me go, so I just had to wait it out. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a patient man.
Still, sitting in my truck and avoiding my family wouldn’t make time fly any faster. So, I grabbed my bag from the liquor store and headed inside.
At least once I was inside, I wouldn’t have to go back out—at least, that’s what I thought until I stepped into the foyer .
Lucian was seated on the floor while Jasper and Juniper sat across from him. To his side were a few paintbrushes and the face paint palette he had invested in for birthday parties and similar events.
Lucian’s brow furrowed in concentration as he applied skeleton makeup to the twins. Mason was doing something similar to Sebastian, just with cheaper makeup and less skill. And that’s when I remembered I had one last obligation for the day.
Trick-or-treating with the kids.
Mason finished using the black face-crayon to draw skeleton teeth on Sebastian’s lips. She shot him a pleased smile, and he squinted. That’s when I noticed his glasses were gone.
“Do I look handsome?” Sebastian’s tone was mostly playful, with a hint of gravel at the end.
“Uncle Bash!” Juniper scolded. “That’s daddy’s girlfriend! Get your own!”
She crossed her little arms and shot Sebastian a look so sour it could curdle milk. It was funny seeing such a little girl level a man like Sebastian. I fought my urge to laugh. Ain’t a way in hell I was ruining this show.
“Lucky, this is where you scold your child,” Sebastian explained.
Lucian turned just enough to give Sebastian a fleeting glance before ignoring his brother and switching to a finer brush.
“Lucian,” Sebastian tried again, this time with a sterner tone.
The corner of Mason’s lips twitched like she was fighting the urge to laugh.
“Give me a second! I’m concentrating,” Lucian barked as he used the gray to add shading around the places he made black.
Sebastian impatiently cleared his throat, and Lucian groaned.
After a beat, Lucian said something to Juniper in Spanish. I couldn’t understand a word of it, but it sounded like he was lecturing her. However, Juniper’s smug, self-satisfied grin told a different story.
For a while, I’d been wondering if Sebastian was fluent in Spanish like his brother was. Lucian spoke Spanish regularly, but I’d only heard Sebastian speak English and the odd, child-level French. But Seb’s lack of reaction told me everything I needed to know .
Movement echoed through the house as Sophia bound down the steps.
She was dressed in a black bodysuit, the front of which was decorated with a skeleton.
The stretchy fabric clung to Sophia’s curves like a second skin, accentuating her full figure.
Her platinum hair hung in loose waves. Never in my life had I wanted to fuck a skeleton, but she was certainly changing that mindset.
A spark of excitement danced in her sapphire eyes as they landed on me. Sophia’s happiness was infectious, and before I could fight it, a small smile sprouted on my lips.
I waved at her, and she hopped off the bottom step before bounding over to me and wrapping her arms around my neck. She smelled like some type of fruity candy.
“The birthday boy is home!” she cheered into my ear.
I savored the softness of her skin as every eye slowly shifted to me. I could feel in Lucian’s gaze that he was still wary from earlier. After church he’d wanted to know why I didn’t tell him my dad was in town, and I told him we’d talk later. But I didn’t say how much later.
Which meant I had to avoid him for as long as possible.
Thankfully, Mason seemed almost as excited as Sophia. She just wasn’t in a position to run up to me as quickly as Soph did.
After a moment of struggling, she planted her hand on Sebastian’s shoulder. She then used him to help her stand, and I was a little irritated that he didn’t offer to help her. What, was I the only gentleman in this house?
Despite Sebastian’s complete lack of chivalry, Mason thanked him when she finally found her feet. He grabbed his glasses from the floor and slipped them on just to look at her.
And, God, the way he looked at her.
His icy eyes swept over Mason’s delicate features, lingering on the curve of her smile.
It was like he was committing every inch of her to memory like someone might a piece of art in a museum.
The tenderness in his expression said more than words ever could.
That creep was completely, madly, truly in love with our girl .
Thankfully, Mason seemed immune to Sebastian’s warmth as she glided over to me. Her face was completely bare, and the lack of makeup left her freckles on display. For a moment, I stood there, trying to read the dark dots like tea leaves, hoping they’d be able to tell our future.
Her patchwork eyes focused on me, and my face suddenly felt hot in a way that I wasn’t used to—a way I couldn’t place even if I wanted to. All I knew was that it was bright enough to dispel the shadows Dale had left to cloud my brain.
My pulse fluttered, and I looked down just to prevent my heart from beating out of my chest. But Mason’s outfit certainly didn’t help that. Her costume was similar to Sophia’s, but there was one major difference. On Mason’s stomach, there was a baby skeleton.
“You dressed baby girl up too,” I mused, reaching out to place a palm on Mason’s belly.
Mason’s smile brightened as she put her hand on mine.
“Of course.” Her accent wove around her words. “She’s part of the family too.”
Would Mason still want to be part of my family if she knew the truth?
That one thought was all it took to destroy the moment.
My smile faltered despite my best attempts to keep it plastered to my face.
I hoped Mason wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately, her expression mirrored mine.
I hated myself for letting doubt cloud such a beautiful moment, but the fear of losing everyone was a weight I couldn't shake.
Before I could muster the courage to push my thoughts off to the side, Mason’s brow furrowed as she drew in a sharp, whiny breath.
“God dammit,” Lucian muttered, putting his brushes down and hopping to his feet. “Just sit the fuck down.”
He took Mason by the crook of her arm. Despite Lucian’s pulling, she stayed firmly planted in her spot. Jasper and Juniper looked over at us with wide eyes.
“I don’t want to sit,” Mason warned through her teeth. “I want to go trick-or-treating with my family.”
Lucian’s expression hardened as his grip on Mason tightened. “And I told you that if you kept having contractions, you were staying the fuck home. ”
“Alright, Daddy needs to wash his mouth out with soap.” Sophia clapped her hands together before looking back at the kids. “Let’s have a snack before we go.”
Jasper nodded before standing up. He was a good boy, so I wasn’t shocked that he listened. Juniper, on the other hand, crossed her arms and scowled.
“No! I want to–”
Sophia stopped Juniper’s tantrum by scooping her off the ground.
“Sebby, can you help me with Jas?” she said like she wasn’t holding a flailing toddler.
Sebastian’s expression morphed into confusion.
“Uh, no. They’re not my–”
Sophia’s smile remained bright, but the look in her eyes could only be interpreted as a threat. Soph may have been the nicest person in the house, but everyone knew not to fuck with her. Even if she wasn’t his domme, Sebastian wasn’t dumb.
So, instead of continuing the fight, he took Jasper’s hand in his and followed Sophia to the kitchen. This left just Mason, Lucian, and I in the foyer. And it felt like I shouldn’t really be here either.
“Look, I love that you want to spend time with my kids,” Lucian conceded. “But, you’re pregnant. You need to focus on you and Rosie.”
“So I can’t go just because I’m pregnant ?” Mason gasped.
Lucian took a deep breath, and I wondered just how hard it was for him to remain nice during this argument. As he turned his attention to me, I realized it had to be next to impossible.
“Cameron, get your bitch,” he grumbled.
Mason’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Lucian stepped away to grab his face paint. “We’ve been arguing for over an hour, and you won’t fucking listen. Maybe you’ll listen to the man that put the baby there.”
Mason's expression flickered between disbelief and indignation as she clenched her fists by her side. I fought the urge to groan as I realized that either way this ended, one of my partners was gonna be pissed at me. A knot formed in my stomach as I thought about telling Lucian this wasn’t my battle.
That way, I could just let the two fight it out.
But that’s when I realized this was a great way for me not to have to trick-or-treat tonight.
“I’d feel better if ya stayed home. The other night still has me a bit spooked.” My admission drew a look of complete and utter betrayal from Mason. “But, that don’t mean we can’t celebrate.”
I was hoping for a chance to elaborate. With the rest of the house out, Mason and I would have about three hours to do whatever she wanted.
We could watch movies, I could get a pumpkin from the field for us to carve, or if she started feeling better, we could fuck.
But, after a beat of uncomfortable silence, Mason turned away and ran up the steps.
I went to chase her, but Lucian grabbed me by the hand.
“Don’t,” he warned.
What the fuck did he mean, don’t ? I upset Mason, and as much as I didn’t understand her, I knew I had to make sure she was still alright. Lucian must have been able to sense my confusion.
“She had a rough night last night, and she’s exhausted,” he explained, leaving out the meltdown Sophia had mentioned yesterday. “Give her a chance to rest. When she’s ready, she’ll come down.”
That seemed easier said than done. But Lucian seemed to be the expert when it came to Mason.
“What do I do until then?”
“Well, you volunteered to stay home.” Lucian shrugged. “So, I’m going trick-or-treating with my kids. You can figure this out yourself.”